As 2024 is reaching past its midway point, this year promises to become an important year for new trends reshaping the development industry. Preparing for the future of developments has become a primary concern for developers, home builders, and many others in the industry.
From big advancements in technology starting with AI, to a focus on sustainability, developers have a lot to consider when preparing for construction.
Bearing this in mind, MTE has evolved and adapted, catering to our clients and their ever-changing needs. Now more than ever, MTE offers multi-disciplinary services to our clients, prioritizing environmental concerns, whilst maintaining our strong expertise in our other engineering disciplines.
Offering a variety of consulting services including civil, structural, geoscience, environmental science, building engineering, and surveying, MTE provides our clients the full range of engineering services, whilst staying on top of emerging industry changes.
Let’s investigate the five key trends shaping developments in 2024:
1. Smart Infrastructure Integration
The integration of smart technologies has caused a shift for developers. As a result, large technological advances have now caused developers to consider implementing smart grids, efficient energy systems, and smart transportation networks. By incorporating smart infrastructure, sustainable interconnected communities can begin to form, and allows for developers to optimize resource utilization, enhance efficiency, and to improve the quality of life for its customers.
Positioned as a groundbreaking advancement for high-rises in Ontario, The Bright Building stands out as Kitchener’s first all-electric multi-residential structure. Located in Midtown Kitchener, this residence consists of 18 stories, 228 units, a 2-level underground parking garage and includes a variety of sustainable technologies.
The Bright Building was designed from the outset with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind and includes EV charging for every parking spot, light dimming capabilities for every light fixture, and the reduction of complex infrastructure such as piping and boiler rooms. To heat and cool the units, the building utilizes air-source heat pumps, high-efficiency windows and building envelopes, and on-demand water heaters. More specifically, this multi-residential tower does not utilize any natural gas or fossil fuels.
Our team was brought onto the project to provide survey services for the plan of condominium, structural engineering and building engineering consulting.
2. Mixed-use Development
With the increase of urbanization trends and changing lifestyles, mixed-use developments are becoming more and more important in 2024. A mixed-use development combines residential, commercial, and recreational spaces within the same area. This allows for customers to have convenience, walkability, and a community atmosphere. As a result, mixed-use developments have become popular because they promote sustainable land use, and reduce the reliability of vehicles, reducing carbon footprints.
Nestled in the vibrant core of Toronto’s west district, The Well stands as one of Canada’s most anticipated premier mixed-use projects.
MTE provided structural steel framing engineering services for The Well’s mixed-use development including areas of the Market Hall and Condominiums.
MTE also oversaw a significant portion of the structural steel stud framing for The Well project. This encompassed the creation of feature walls within various sections of the establishment, including the lobby, café, and retail areas, all of which were adorned with high-quality decorative finishes. Additionally, our team contributed to the construction of exterior canopies and elevator bays, ensuring their structural integrity and aesthetic appeal aligned with project specifications.
3. Eco-friendly Design and Sustainability
More than ever, sustainability has become a large focus for any new development. Driven by increasing environmental awareness, regulations and government pressures, sustainable design practices are becoming the norm. This can include green building certifications, energy-efficient construction methods, and renewable energy integration. As a result, green spaces, biodiversity preservation and water conservation have become standard practices in development to enhance environmental standards and to mitigate climate change concerns
The Toronto Paramedic Services – Multifunction Station at 330 Progress Avenue, situated near Highway 401, represents the City of Toronto’s latest facility dedicated to paramedic professionals and services.
Designed with sustainability as a core principle, the station aims to achieve net zero energy and net zero carbon goals. This commitment is evident throughout its design, which not only provides functional spaces for both on and off-duty paramedics but also includes an educational center for training and recruitment activities.
MTE is proud to have contributed civil engineering and land surveying services to the Toronto Paramedic Services Multifunction Paramedic Station project.
Our role centered on delivering comprehensive site planning and land surveying services. Additionally, we conducted a thorough investigation of underground utilities and services, ensuring the efficient and effective integration of essential infrastructure for the facility.
4. Affordable Housing
With inflation rising, the need for affordable housing is becoming a greater concern for residents. Developers need to adjust to this rise and adjust to the gap in the market for affordable housing. To stay ahead of the curve, developers continue to explore innovative solutions such as modular construction, micro-housing, and alternative financing models.
Increased access to affordable housing is what led the team at Maxwell Building Consultants to transform the site at 18 Guelph Street, Kitchener into a multi-unit residential building. The three-storey structure brings a total of 13 affordable units to the Kitchener community, with units ranging from one to five bedrooms.
MTE’s first role on the project team was to provide environmental expertise related to the redevelopment. Our geotechnical engineers also completed an assessment of the site to determine the soil and groundwater conditions of the property and provide recommendations for site grading, site servicing, foundations, basements, pavement design and subdrainage, and stormwater infiltration potential.
Our survey team also completed a topographical survey of the site and our civil engineers got to work designing the grading and servicing solutions. Our structural engineers completed the design of the three-storey, wood-framed structure.
This development was made possible with funding from Ontario’s Investment in Affordable Housing program (IAH).
5. Resilience Planning & Climate Adaption
Finally, in anticipation of climate change concerns, land developers need to begin to plan and consider risks due to climate change induced natural disasters. In recent years, the concern of flooding, and other vulnerabilities is causing developers to place a large amount of focus on these issues. For this reason, developers are putting more research into stormwater management systems, resilient building design, and flood mitigation to future-proof their projects against climate change risks.
Westwood Village Community in Cambridge represents expansion along the city’s western boundary that will increase housing availability through developing over 80 ha of land.
These lands are guided by the conceptual solutions outlined in the Master Environmental Servicing Plan for the Westwood Village Community. MTE has provided civil consultation and design on the servicing, grading and stormwater management solutions to support approvals and development since 2005.
Services for this project included:
- Conceptual Stormwater Management Plan
- Chloride Impact Analysis
- Water and Sanitary Servicing Analysis
- Noise Assessment
- Phase One Environmental Site Assessment
Looking Ahead
The future of developments continues to operate in an ever-changing environment. The team at MTE Consultants is prepared to adapt and become industry leaders with this new onset of challenges, technological innovation, and social considerations.